Best Foodie Fundraiser

Ultimate Critics Dinner, Sept. 2010

Staff Pick

There's one thing you should know about our former food critic (and current contributor) Jeff Allen. He's an idea man. He opens his mouth, and they come tumbling out. Some suck. Some need refining. But a fair amount are serious moneymakers. Take the Ultimate Critics Dinner. Allen dreamed that one up a couple years back. He approached Angel Postell, the executive director of Charleston Wine + Food Festival, and pitched her his idea of having all the food critics in Charleston come together to craft the ultimate dinner and sell tickets to raise money for a nonprofit. It took more than a year, but when the Ultimate Critics Dinner finally happened last September with a dream team of local chefs (Mike Lata, Sean Brock, Jeremiah Bacon, Frank Lee, Craig Deihl, Michelle Weaver, and Lauren Mitterer) serving a multicourse meal waterside at the Cottages of Charleston Harbor. The Ultimate Critics Dinner proved a memorable event and ultimately raised nearly $20,000 for Lowcountry Local First's farm stewardship program. Good job, Allen. Here's your public pat on the back from your grumpy colleagues at the City Paper.